The Grand Ole Opry, Nashville, Tennessee

What a Night At The Grand Re-opening celebration of the GRAND OLE OPRY!
Some of country music’s legends and fresh new faces joined on stage Tuesday night to kick off the “Country Comes Home” celebration to a sold-out house and some very happy fans! The entire cast opened with “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” as the curtain rose at the Opry house for the first time since the May flood damaged the building. As Trace Atkins explained, “The water was so high on this stage, and even though I would have been alright, little Jimmy (Dickens) would have been swimming!” That brought a roar from fans!
Brad Paisley and Keith Urban were neck and neck at the ¼ mile turn
With sizzling guitar playing and awesome vocals. Here are two guys that
will long be standing on the “Circle” of dreams.
Trace Atkins and Blake Sheldon were two hunks of burning love that we just
can’t get enough of…We loved your “Hillbilly Bone” but would consider sharing a lot more of your
Badonkadonk! Sheldon should have sang “Home” for this event as it would have been more meaningful considering the “sweet tweet” (say that 5 times), surprise when the “ twittering” Sheldon was invited via “Twitter” to become a member of the Grand Old Opry. One could tell this was an “OMG” moment! This was truly a dream come true since 2001 when he stepped on the stage as a virtual unknown. Kudos to you Blake Sheldon! Glad to have such a deserving member!
Josh Turner and Lori Morgan blew us away with “Golden Ring!” What great harmony! Lori looked fabulous. I would
Say divorce and adversity suit this hot little number! She seems to rebound with more loveliness each time around! You go girl!
We wish Josh would have sung “Long Black Train.” His voice rocks! I don’t think there is anything this guy could sing that would be “blunderous thunder” to our ears! He is like the boy next door. You just want to squeeze his little cheeks (his face)! Well, maybe! He is adorable, well spoken, and truly deserves his place at the Grand Ole Opry! He is a real crowd pleaser. His respect for his place as a member of the Opry is evident. And that voice, it just makes your heart and soul rumble….all I can say is more, more, more!
Charlie Daniels rocked the house and brought the crowd to a standing ovation. Hard to believe this 73 year-old still can fiddle the twiddle like no other. His pairing with “Montgomery Gentry” was perfect. Edie must have been a baton twirler in high school. He twirled that microphone in harmony with Charlie’s fiddle like he had
hot candle wax on his hands! Thank God he kept it low or Troy would be headless!
Martina McBride and Connie smith wowed us with “Once a Day!” As usual she sang her lungs out! Not sure about the hair or the dress but love that voice. They were perfect together. I could see that Martina really felt honored to be singing with Smith. Those lovely bright blue eyes told the truth! Connie still singing with strong vocal control complimented Martina’s keen adaptation to her style.
On the other hand, Jason Aldean sounded like he had a mouth full of marbles. I don’t know if it was the sound system or his engulfment of the microphone that left me ready to remove him from the stage! He sucked!
Mel Tillis “I Got the Hoss” suits his charming personality to a tee! He loves the women! What can I say about a 77-year old who apparently doesn’t need Viagra! There was no doubt he could ride, ride, ride!
Dierks Bently and Del McCoury’s rendition of Bill Monroe’s “Roll on Buddy Roll On” was bluegrass at its best!
Sounded like they had done this a hundred times before! We Needed to hear a few more from these two. Bently already has a voice that sounds somewhat seasoned…can’t wait to hear him when he is 50ish!
Steve Warner, was shuffled to the back but I had “Holes In The Floor of Heaven” on my mind. Conlee could have sang one less song and given this guy his due!
Finally, whispering Bill Anderson….what can I say….graceful, elegant and classy!
This is one “Grand Re-opening” that left fans leaving with a smile on their faces and a “glad your back” feeling
in their hearts. Great job! While we missed many of the legends that have graced this stage and may have expected
to hear some of the songs that have really spoken to us, all-in-all it was well worth attending. There is still nothing like
a live show at the Opry! Welcome Home!
Ms. Cat Stevens